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Find out more about J. Doug: J. Doug has spent more than a quarter century living by the adage: if you want to make a million dollars as a freelance writer, start with two million. He resides in Maryland, where the state General Assembly has constitutionally banned common sense. |
Perhaps you’ve noticed the holidays are (almost) right around the corner. The folks at Examiner.com are aware, and that’s why we’re devoting a special Holiday Guide full of information on events, tips on entertaining and the year’s hot gifts, recipes, traditions, and breaking news in the War on Christmas.
Just kidding – sort of – on that last one.
So for the next month or so, make Examiner.com your single source for the best this holiday season has to offer.
The Weird U.S. Series
The brilliant minds behind this series - Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman (and a host of co-authors) have written a slew of wildly popular travel guides unlike any you’ve ever used.
These books offer a peek-under-the-tent at local legends, characters, bizarre roadside attractions, and the sort of places most tourists never see. And there’s one for nearly every state in the union.
Strange But True: New York City: Tales of the Big Apple
S.B. Howard’s tribute to the bizarre side of New York City focuses – through various chapters – on the Big Apple’s “Law & Disorder”, “Urban Myths” and “Oddballs and Weirdoes.”
The author even adds a chapter called “Only in New York”, where he spins tales that are truly indigenous to the area and its people - including the origins of the infamous Bronx cheer.
Tales of the Big Apple also spotlights many of the city’s quirky antiquated laws and features cut-line quotes – such as the caller to a radio show who wanted to dedicate a song to his girlfriend to apologize for stabbing her - that capture the pulse of the City that Never Sleeps.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weird Word Origins
Paul McFedries’ salute to the quirky aspects of our vocabulary takes a lighthearted look at the origins of the words and expressions we use everyday.
Chock full of more than 600 words and phrases, McFredries provides answers to questions such as why we ‘eat crow and humble pie’ and why seemingly all magicians say abracadabra.
Alphabetized and easy-to-read, Weird Word Origins puts the dis in discourse, and serves up a fascinating look at the development of our language.
Thinning the Herd: Tales of the Weirdly Departed
Cynthia Ceilan takes us on a morbid trip to the land of the, well, IQ-challenged, and her bizarre vignettes never end well.
The author has rounded up numerous life-ending scenarios brought about by the poor decision making process of the human species - such as the man whose drunk uncle attempted to scare the hiccups out of his nephew by pointing a gun at his head. The hiccups were permanently eliminated – along with half the man’s head - when the gun accidentally went off.
You’ll probably be a bit disgusted with yourself after chuckling at the tale of the prim and proper Englishman who set himself on fire while burning brush only to drown while dousing the flames in a nearby river. Poor fellow couldn’t swim.
Ceilan has taken a bit of heat for a couple historical inaccuracies – specifically the stories of a Medal of Honor winner and the battlefield exploits of Union General John Sedgwick – but when you include a butcher that stabs her boyfriend 37 times and serves his children a stew made from his boiled head, all is forgiven.
The Onion: Our Dumb World - Atlas of the Planet (73rd edition)
If one is a fan of The Onion one need look no further than the cover of this outstandingly subversive and satirical spoof of those stuffy tome’s touting the good things about the nations of the world.
“Thirty Percent More Asia,” the cover screams at you from the corner while the middle of the page hypes the offer of a “Free Globe Inside.”
On the inside pages the reader finds the cracked worldview that makes the work of the Onion staff so delicious. Splashed across the North Dakota map are the words “Nothing There” and a few pages later we learn that the State Bird of West Virginia is the Dead Coalmine Canary.
The map of Poland comes complete with many stereotypical Polish jokes (fear not, strong Poles, every ethnicity is skewed unmercifully) and on the French flag we find out why the red and blue stripes appear on the end: they can be easily-removed in case of emergency leaving only the solid white section for surrender.
Classic stuff from a classic source of intelligent comedy.
As an FYI: most of the links you find in this post will take you to the Amazon website. Nope, I don’t have a royalty deal with the massive web store, but these guys have many used copies of the books noted above.
And in these tough economic times, saving some coin is anything but strange.
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